 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi All,
Does anyone have experience with the international ski school in ADH? I'm looking for lessons for my girlfriend (skis parallel on blues, starting reds) for next week, but masterclass have limited availability, stance is a bit pricey and i've had too many mediocre experiences with the ESF.
Alternatively if anyone knows of other options i'm all ears.
Opinions on both group and private lessons would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Tom
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tpc, welcome to snowHeads. I dont know the international ski school but I'm interested to know what yu mean by "easy ski" in the thread title. There is an excellent instructor called "easiski" but she's in Deux Alpes
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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tpc, OK, didn't know there was an easyski. LDA easiski is an independent operator, widely used by folk here.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks Sarah, much appreciated.
Will be sure to report back on which ever option we choose.
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Waking this one up as I am in the same dilemma for next winter and wondering how esi/easy-ski turned out?
aj xx
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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ESI were very good for my son a couple of years ago, moved him from cautious blue run skier to red run ripper in about four days.
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ESI = Ecole de SKI International. Nice group of people who have co-opted out of ESF to have independent schools in French resorts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In the end (not my call) we booked 4*ESF courses - 3 of which were great (levels 1/2) and resulted in excellent confident intermediates by the end of the week, and one (class3) which my friend abandoned after 1 day due to a rather unsympathetic instructor who believed she was capable of the relevant runs, just nervous - and thus refused to let her downgrade a class or to hold the class to less steep terrain, partly in fairness as there wasn't a group of the right level - next one down would have meant joining a class 2 just consolidating their parallels. Result: tears on the slopes and an immediate exit from class 3. She turned the credit into private lessons which were fine, as was another friends run of 4 privates.
ESI turned in a poor showing for us. The couple who went for a private powder lesson actually asked for their money back - no powder skiing (when the resort was covered in around a foot on and off piste this was actually quite an achievement) and so little english that they couldn't extract any practical feedback at all. Two standard intermediates had a bad first session (in fairness this was in heavy snow), and a couple more 'ok' sessions but neither group was impressed at all and would not use again. In fairness we didn't pre book so perhaps we weren't seeing them at their best. Everyone who dealt with them (we did ski hire through them) commented they had very little english. Ski hire however was excellent - good prices, new equipment, flexible, friendly.
Masterclass were rejected for their exceedingly old photos and retro website - what can I say, we're a group of 20-something IT geeks...
http://www.masterclass.f9.co.uk/images/Group%20on%20Signal%20Hill.jpg as an example of what i mean  Seriously the site seems aimed at early intermediates and our more adventurous folks were not enticed by it.
So, the suprise winner? ESF - hands down.
aj xxx
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FAQ
It is a branch of the ESI (international ski school). I would have used them but they couldn't accommodate our odd arrival/departure days over this period and so we booked ESF through the TO. So no direct experience of them unfortunately but they were very visible(they wear yellow) on the mountain with small groups, no more than 8 (I counted) and mostly less. I didn't see them with any adult groups though. Their meeting place is very convenient and easy to spot next to the restaurant 'Le Taburle' right opposite the lift pass office at the base of the DMC. They looked good and they were friendly when I made my enquiry. If you use them let us know how you get on.
